Current weather

Chiming in ahead of 2012

By Merritt Melanconmerritt.melancon@onlineathens.com – published Friday, September 30, 2011

While the nation’s eyes may be fixed on the beginning stages of 2012’s presidential campaigns, local politicians are gearing up their own version of political theater.

Most Athens-area towns will hold qualifying this week for at least some mayoral or city council seats up for grabs in the Nov. 8 elections.

In the past, many seats have been uncontested, but with this year’s budget struggles and some longtime officials deciding it’s time to retire, some races may attract more than one interested candidate.

In Winder, one-term Mayor Chip Thompson has decided to run for just one more term.

“I’ve started a lot projects over the last four years that I’d like to follow through with,” Thompson said. “There’s the Livable Cities Initiative study that we did, the streetscape we’re getting under way at the first of the year and the Georgia Housing Initiative, and I’d like to see those through. I’ve told everyone that I’ll run one more time.”

Challenger David Maynard has had several people urge him to run this year, he said.

He doesn’t think Thompson has done a bad job as mayor, but he would like to see things done differently.

“There are a lot of times when (the mayor and staff) work on things and then bring it to us tied up in a box and ready,” Maynard said. “I think these projects should be brought to the council before staff spends their time on them or we invest thousands of dollars in studies.”